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What is the nature of the festival? Pancha Ganapati includes outings, picnics, feasts and exchange of cards and gifts with relatives, friends and business associates. A shrine is created in the main living room of the home and decorated in the spirit of this festive occasion. At the center is placed a large wooden or bronze statue of Lord Panchamukha (“fi ve-faced”) Ganapati, a form of Ganesha. Any large picture or statue of Ganesha will also do. Each morning the children decorate and dress Him in the color of that day, representing one of His fi ve rays of energy, or shaktis.

What happens on each of the fi ve days?Each day a tray of sweets, fruits and incense is prepared and offered to Lord Ganapati, ideally by the children. Chants and songs are sung in His praise. After the worship, diverse sweets are shared by one and all. Each day colorfully wrapped gifts are given to the children, who place them before Pancha Ganapati to open on the fi fth day. The adults receive gifts, too! On each day one of the fi ve faces of Pan-cha Ganapati is worshiped.

December 21, yellow: The family discipline for this day is to create a vibration of love and har-mony among all members. Rising early, they decorate the shrine, then perform a grand puja invoking Ganesha’s blessings. Sitting together, they make amends for past misdeeds, insults, mental pain and injuries caused and suffered. They conclude by extolling one another’s best qualities.

December 22, blue: Day two is devoted to creat-ing or restoring a vibration of love and har-mony among neighbors, relatives and close friends. This is done by presenting heartfelt gifts and offering apologies to clear up any ill-will that may exist. Relatives and friends in far-off places are written to or called, forgive-ness is sought, apologies made and tensions released.

December 23, red: Today’s discipline is to estab-lish love and harmony among business associ-ates and the public. It is the day for presenting gifts to fellow workers and customers and to honor employers and employees with gifts and appreciation. It is a time for settling all debts and disputes.

December 24, green: The spiritual discipline of day four is to draw forth the vibration of joy and harmony that comes from music, art,

drama and dance. Family, rela-tives and friends gather before Ganesha to share their artistic gifts, discuss Hindu Dharma and make plans to bring more cul-tural refi nements into the home.

December 25, orange: The dis-cipline for this day is to bring forth love and harmony that comes from charity and re-ligiousness. As the gifts are opened, one and all experience Ganesha’s abundant, loving presence fi lling their home and hearts, inspiring them anew for the coming year.

Think of this as the Hindu Christmas, a modern winter holiday full of family-centered happenings, but with fi ve days of gifts for the kids, not one. From December 21 to 25 Hindus worship Lord Ganesha,

the elephant-headed Lord of culture and new beginnings. Family members work to mend past mistakes and bring Ganesha’s blessings of joy and harmony into fi ve realms of their life, a wider circle each day: family, friends, associates, culture and religion.

HOLY DAYS THAT AMERICA’S HINDUS CELEBRATE

How did this festival begin? In 1985, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyas-wami, founder of HINDUISM TODAY magazine, conceived of and introduced Pancha Ganapati during the thirty days of the Markali Pillaiyar home festival. With fi ve days of gift giving at the time of year when Christmas is widely celebrated, it offers Hindu families, especially in the West, a meaningful way to participate in the holiday season without compromising their Hindu val-ues. Their children receive and give gifts just as do their non-Hindu friends. Adults can fulfi ll the season’s social custom of sharing gifts and greeting cards, as well as accepting them from relatives, neighbors, friends and busi-ness associates.

How is the Hindu tone maintained? While the festival occurs at Christmas time, Hindus celebrate Pancha Ganapati in a distinctly Hindu way, without Christmas trees, Santa Claus or symbols of other religions. Greeting cards are Indian in design and content, conveying Hindu wisdom from scrip-ture. Hindu music and bhajans take the place of Christmas carols.

How is the home decorated? Lord Ganesha is depicted as com-ing from the forest; therefore, pine boughs, bamboo, palm fronds or banana leaves may be used. Durva grass, sugarcane, garlands of limes, vadai or sweet modaka enhance the home shrine. Flashing lights, oil lamps and colorful hanging ornaments are often added. After each puja, the sweets prepared for the day are given to the children.

This educational poster is part of Hindu Festival Outreach, a collaboration between Sanatana Dharma Foundation of Texas and HINDUISM TODAY magazine in Hawaii. Additional resources may be found at www.hinduismtoday.com/FestivalMedia.Soumya Sitaram and Usha Krishnaswami, author and photographer of Following the Hindu Moon, generously contributed text and graphics with permission from their book's publisher, Random House of India (www.randomhouse.co.in).

Tidbits About Pancha Ganapati

Making VadaiSpicy donuts to enjoy as a snack or with a festive meal

Preparation time: 4 hoursCooking time: 40 minutesServes: 6-8Equipment: A small wok or round-bottomed pan, a ladle and a serving dish.

Ingredients1 cup urad dal, 1 onion, 2 green chilies, curry leaves, ghee, salt

Method1. Soak the dal in water for 4 hours. 2. Drain and grind to a coarse paste. 3. Mince the onion and chilies. 4. Add to the dal with salt and curry

leaves. Stir well. 5. To make each vadai, roll a small piece

of dough into a ball and fl atten it. Vadais are usually about 2 1/2” in diameter and may have a hole in the middle like a donut.

6. Deep fry the vadai in ghee until golden (about 5 minutes).

FACT: Hindus believe that even harsh karma—which comes in the form of diffi cult experiences—when faced in wisdom can be the greatest catalyst for spiritual growth. The Hindu knows that when something happens that seems unfortunate or unjust, it is not God’s punishment. It is the result of one’s own actions in the past. Understanding the way karma works, Hindus seek to live a good and virtuous life through right thought, right speech and right action. This is called dharma.

FICTION: It is not true that Hinduism is alone in its belief in reincarnation. The doctrine is found in all other Indic religions—Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism—as well as indigenous faiths, including the Native Americans and the pagans of Europe. Even Christianity originally taught reincarnation, and some schools of Judaism still do. Today one-fourth of Americans believe in reincarnation. It is one of most widespread articles of faith on Earth.

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Pancha GanapatiThe Family Festival of Giving

cha Ganapati is worshiped.

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